Movies & Videos

DMT: The Spirit Molecule (2010)

“[Dr. Strassman’s] hypothesis proposes that the pineal gland, at times when it’s under a specific stress or stimulation, it releases a significant amount of this hormone DMT and it’s that hormone that facilitates the entering and exiting of the soul in the human body. This is what the Jewish sage mystics have been describing, in a coded language, for literally thousands of years.” –Rabbi Joel Bakst

From 1990 to 1995, psychiatrist Dr. Rick Strassman conducted one of the very few government-approved clinical studies on psychedelics, specifically N,N-dimethyltryptamine, or DMT. After injecting sixty volunteers with multiple rounds of the drug and recording their experiences, Dr. Strassman published his findings in the book DMT: The Spirit Molecule: A Doctor’s Revolutionary Research Into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences, on which this movie is based.

As explained by narrator Joe Rogen, this film’s purpose is to make the case for reintroducing psychedelics into the cultural mainstream. The first half of the film is spent reviewing details about DMT and Dr. Strassman’s clinical trials and in the second half, we hear trip details from several of the study’s volunteers. For those enticed by ideas of exploring the inner psych, these stories are incredible and inspiring; it occurred to me their descriptions might sound terrifying to anyone wanting to keep the veil of illusion firmly in place. Though each story is unique, it isn’t hard to see the similarities between these and other accounts of awakening: a veil being lifted; a sense of connection to all life; a sense of the eternal. Between the volunteers’ accounts and testimonies from several noted scientists and spiritual teachers, I think the film makes a good case for the medicinal and spiritual applications of DMT. My favorite insight from the film: psychedelics both inspire and produce transformation.

 

Ayahuasca: Vine of the Soul (2012)

“Ayahuasca makes you learn. Ayahuasca is a means for a man to get to know the different realms of existence. The source of all creation makes us see where man comes from, that he comes from space where energy comes from in the form of light. We are all formed through a relationship of nature, energy and light.” Amazonian curandero Guillermo Arevalo

In this film, two psychonauts share their ayahuasca encounters, one a naturopathic physician and the other an accountant. In between commentary from various science and spiritual teachers (and a couple of the other psychonauts in the group), the two travelers share details about their backgrounds and the situations that brought them to spend a week in the Peruvian jungle. I found the film effective for both the candid interviews and insightful teachings and I’d recommend this film as a good introduction to both ayahuasca and general concepts about the nature of expanded consciousness.

 

Little Saints: Eat A Mushroom, Talk To God (2014)

“The mushrooms are used for healing people, for helping [people] with finding themselves. For help with seeing with clarity what they have. For help with the understanding of something uncertain among other things.” –Mazatec shaman Natalie Martinez

Six brave psychonauts let us share their encounter with a shamanic healing ceremony that takes place in Oaxaca, Mexico. What I appreciated about this film were the glimpses into the quiet, simple life of a shaman living in a remote setting; there was something zen about watching her go about her preparations. And because we sit in on the pre-ceremony interviews, we also get a glimpse into her thinking and plans for each person’s healing – it’s interesting stuff. The ceremony itself reveals many of the same emotional experiences for the participants as depicted in the other films, though we get more glimpses of the shamanic guidance in this film. As the ceremony unfolds over the course of the evening, we’re reminded of why it’s called ‘a journey’ as you can hear each person start to unravel the clues in their experience to take the next step on their path. The film closes by revisiting the six participates one year later, revealing the transformational power psychotropics can bring to our lives.

 

Metamorphosis – Ayahuasca Documentary (2014)

“These ceremonies can be a tremendous gift. What you give to yourself in that moment the ayahuasca matches, the spirits match, the medicine matches. They show you and they teach you and they train you how to love yourself, how to love others, how to be nice, how to be compassion, how to share, how to be generous. It’s a tremendous gift.” –ayahuasquero Hamilton Souther

I have saved the best for last. And by ‘best’, I mean the most brutally honest – about the ayahuasca experience specifically but also about awakening with psychotropics in general (in my humble opinion). This 90-minute documentary explores the journey of several westerners as they encounter ‘the vine of the soul’ on five successive nights. The film is upfront about its frank nature, opening with scenes (shot with night vision) that recall descriptions of demonic possession. Don’t let that distract you; the stories that follow are searingly honest and full of wisdom. This film also includes interviews with ayahuasquero apprentice Hamilton Souther, who shares numerous explanations about the ayahuasca ceremony that I haven’t seen elsewhere, such as the reason the ceremony is held at night and the purpose of the blown smoke used throughout.

But it’s the experiences of the trippers that is the gem of this film. The psychotropic awakening is not the ‘little glimpses many times’ approach of meditation or yoga. It’s sudden, even wrenching, and often full of lessons that need processing over weeks and months. It’s disruptive and emotional and, until one experiences egoic death, full of terror and fear about that very same death. Many films about psychotropics don’t share much about this aspect of a sudden awakening and I appreciated this film for this additional level of candidness. Yet such encounters also bring feelings of freedom and surrender, feelings you can see growing in the faces of each speaker they progress through their sessions. It’s hard to express in words how profound the peace of transformation can be but it’s telling to see its power demonstrated as each of these people come back night after night to face more of their unresolved energies. I may have looked like I was laying quietly for most of my awakening experience but when watching this film, I recognized so many of the emotional pleas and prayers uttered during these encounters – which is why I highly recommend this film to anyone considering a psychotropic awakening as it provides another level of truth about the experience. But even as the film challenges us with this honest portrayal, it also reveals how ayahuasca can bring that most precious of things for which we all seek  –  peace.

(Note: Hamilton Souther is the owner/founder of the Blue Morpho tour company involved with this film, which he calls out in the film a few times.)

 

top image: agsandrew @ shutterstock.com   

After I got connected to the nondual ecosystem, finding the answers to many more of my pressing questions was limited only by the amount of time I devoted to learning. Now, some fifteen months later, I look back on how much knowledge I’ve been able to access with so much gratitude for the teachers and technology that allowed my search to be both immediate and fruitful. Because so many have opened up to share their experiences, much of my path so far has not been one I had to create but only to follow. And it occurs to me – this is why I found the others.

 

 

---

Awake in the Dream (2012)

“I think that humanity at this point is on the verge of a rebirth. We are experiencing collectively a shift, a slow but powerful shift in the energies of life on the earth. So it’s a time of birthing; as with all births there will be perhaps some drama involved and maybe even a little discomfort. … But in the end, I think that  we will find ourselves recreated in the next grandest version of who we are.”  –Neale Donald Walsh, spiritual teacher

In this movie, filmmaker Catharina Roland tells the story of her spiritual awakening. At the beginning of the story, Catharina is a single mother who, feeling confused and worn out by personal and global worries, decides to break with routine and find a new path. After realizing that ancient spiritual teachings all point towards a ‘big awakening’, Catharina empties her savings, buys some video equipment and sets off with her young son to travel the world in search of those who teach this spiritual wisdom. As she shares each stage of her journey, Catharina interviews spiritual teachers and scientists who share their relevant insights on the nature of consciousness and reality. So while the story is not unique – person faces crisis, breaks routine, seeks teaching, awakens to acceptance and begins traveling a new path – the beautiful images and effective teachings captured by Catharina make this film one of the better examples of this type.

 

Discover the Gift (2011)

“Living your life is like sailing; you’re constantly making adjustments and corrections. But once you take the wheel and set your course, you can go anywhere. And after this long journey of my own, if there’s any wisdom I can offer it is simply this: follow your heart, discover your gift and get ready for the greatest adventure of your life.” –Demian Lichtenstein, filmmaker

Based on the book of the same name, this film shares the story of Demian Lichtenstein, a successful producer and director of films and music videos. After experiencing a lack of fulfillment from his material wealth, Demian begins to re-examine his life and relationships, leading to a reconciliation with his sister and ultimately, this book and film. Accounts from the brother/sister team are interspersed with numerous interviews and teachings that advise us how to open up to our life’s true purpose – the gift we’ve been given that we are meant to give to others. Like other films of this type that I’ve found helpful, this one offers both inspirational messages and practical tools to use daily to remain awakened in the face of life’s challenges.

 

Life After Life (1975)

“When [Near-Death-Experience patients] do return, incidentally, then the story becomes very interesting from the point of view of human psychology because we find that these patients are profoundly changed, that they are imbued with a totally new value structure … After this experience, their value primarily is to love others and seek loving relationships with their fellow human beings. And also they tell us that they have no more fear of death whatsoever.” –Raymond Moody

Based on his bestselling book, this film provides a series of interviews with philosopher and psychologist Dr. Raymond Moody interspersed with accounts from several of the near-death-experience (NDE) patients whose experiences informed the book. After first hearing about the near death experience of a colleague in 1965, Dr. Moody continued to record several similar accounts from others and in doing so, discovered numerous common features, a pattern for which he coined the term ‘near death experience’. It was this pattern that convinced him that these accounts were more than just phenomenon produced by a dying brain and which eventually lead him to present his argument for life after death in his groundbreaking book. Dr. Moody continued his research into the process of death and NDE’s and is now considered one of the foremost authorities on the topic. He has authored several additional books on NDE’s and related psychic phenomenon, including a follow-up to this book titled Reflections On Life After Life, in which he presents new evidence for life after death and discusses reactions to the original book. Dr. Moody has also lectured on these topics to audiences around the world, many of which can be found on YouTube.

 

top image: snapshot from the PBS series Forces of Nature: Shapes 

Currently, history classes teach us that the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx were built around the same time, somewhere between 2000-2500 BCE, making these structures between 4,000 and 5,000 thousand years old today. But comments by Egyptologist R.A. Schwaller de Lubicz in the mid-50s, in which he noted what looked like water damage to the Sphinx enclosure, caught the attention of author and amateur Egyptologist John Anthony West, who decided to continue investigating the erosion. After many years of study, J.A. West concluded that most of the damage was indeed due to heavy and prolonged rains. Based on known geological changes in the region, these findings would indicate the Sphinx was built much earlier – 2,000 to 5,000 years earlier! If true, this revision in the Sphinx’s timeline, along with similar evidence emerging from other monolithic sites, could end up rewriting a large part of our story about how modern human civilization evolved. J.A. West’s research also led him – and a growing number of others – to reject the common explanation of the Great Pyramid as a tomb, citing both the fact that no mummies were ever found in the pyramid and the stark structural and decorative differences between the Great Pyramid and other known tombs.

In his work over the years, Graham Hancock has often cited J.A. West’s findings at the Sphinx as one of the many pieces of  evidence now supporting Graham’s broader theory about the occurrence of a catastrophic global event, likely a comet strike, that occurred approximately 12,000 years ago, triggering the end of the last ice age. Graham believes that as the massive glaciers covering the continents melted, the resulting floods and severe climate change destroyed the antediluvian civilization whose survivors later brought advanced technology to Egypt and other sites around the world. And yes, I have just alluded to the lost civilization of Atlantis. (Welcome to The Fringe!!)  Yet the evidence presented in numerous films and books, a few of which are included in these next few posts, makes a compelling case that we should, at the very least, be discussing an alternative timeline for the evolution of human civilization. (An argument also made by Robert Bauval and Graham Hancock in their book Keeper of Genesis: A Quest for the Hidden Legacy of Mankind and again in Hancock’s recent bestseller, Magicians of the Gods.)

I’ll admit that while in the midst of my (figurative) trip through the exotic locales and stories of ancient Egypt, a part of me recognized the oddity of entertaining ideas about lost civilizations and 26,000 year time cycles. Then I would remember that, for 50+ years and until just a few months ago, I had been living with a wildly inaccurate understanding of my own true nature. Yet here was an ancient civilization which, as stated by Hancock and others, appeared to have developed sophisticated philosophies about the nature of reality and human consciousness. This knowledge, kept secret and passed down through the Egyptian mystery schools, was said to provide the initiate with the experience of ‘death before dying’, which liberated the student from his fear of death and so brought a richer and more peaceful life. But much of this knowledge was also hidden in plain sight, in the deeper layers beneath the stories, symbols and structures of ancient Egypt, layers which would only be revealed to those who had been initiated – and to a few dedicated scholars.

But here’s the thing with choosing an especially esoteric wisdom tradition as the foundation for exploring your own consciousness – there aren’t a lot of experts at hand to help you get to the key content. For example, I might hear Eckhart Tolle or Rupert Spira quote passages from the Bible, the Tao Te Ching or even the Quran but I can’t recall anyone leaning on a phrase from the Saggara pyramid texts during a teaching about the egoic self – know what I mean? Not that I thought this was a problem, at least not at first. My approach was more, “just give me the Egyptian texts and I’ll figure it out myself!”.  My thinking here – if you can call it that – was that by studying the ancient wisdom (more or less) directly, I would be accessing a version of a universal truth that wasn’t wrapped in as much opinion, dogma and tradition as is found with more mainstream traditions and religions. So I dived right into the deep end (typical) and bought the definitive book on the topic of ancient Egyptian wisdom, The Temple of Man, Rene Adolphe Schwaller de Lubicz’s 1000+ page tome on the Amun-Mut-Knonsu temple at Luxor. It was after reading the 29-page Introduction – which generated two pages of notes and four bookmarks – that I fully grasped the size of my new undertaking; if my path to explore altered states of consciousness was to be based on the wisdom of ancient Egypt, I’d first have to learn a great deal about the context for this wisdom – the symbols, language, science and metaphysical concepts. And it suddenly seemed like a basic understanding of my own consciousness was very far away indeed.

Between coming face-to-face with this massive learning curve and the realization that diving into a specific tradition was not a good place for me to start, I soon decided to set aside the specific topic of ancient Egypt in favor of returning to the larger topic of exploring the nature of consciousness. And yet I continue to tune in occasionally to the ongoing debate Hancock, West, Schoch and others are fueling about human civilization’s evolution. Recent discoveries at Gobekli Tepe, including a stone tablet that describes large comet fragments hitting the planet about 11,000 years ago(!), are lending yet more support to Hancock’s theories, which he discusses in this short interview.

As I reviewed these films for this post, there’s no doubt that the allure and mystery of ancient Egyptian wisdom still beckons – especially in light of these new findings – and I look forward to re-immersing in the books of Schwaller de Lubicz on some special day in the future. (I just hope there’s a support group.)

 

Mystery of the Sphinx (1993)

In this Emmy-award winning documentary, we are introduced to the work of John Anthony West, author and amateur Egyptologist who, in following up on Schwaller de Lubicz’s earlier observations of possible water damage to the Sphinx, uncovered the evidence that has raised serious doubts about the accepted 4,500-year age of the Sphinx. Using information from erosion patterns, Egyptian texts, seismic records, forensic science, and modern engineers, West and geologist Dr. Robert Schoch make a very meticulous and coherent case that the Sphinx is between 7,000 (Schoch) and 10,000 (West) years old and, given this information, may have been built by an earlier civilization.

If the film is a bit dated (and narrated by Charlton Heston! who gets to read from the Bible in his very best Moses voice), it’s still well done and very well researched. Also to its credit, the film gives a fair amount of time to the critics of these new theories. But what was most compelling for me was how effectively the evidence stacks up. I’ve often heard it said that exceptional ideas require exceptional evidence and I’d say West et al have cleared the bar.

 

The Pyramid Code (2009)

I have to imagine that this 5-part series is the result of the flurry created by J.A. West’s film of sixteen years earlier. Dr. Carmen Boulter’s work is the basis for this extensive review of ancient Egyptian culture, beginning with a look at the variety of pyramids in six areas along the Nile. The length of the series allows close examination of the kinds of details rarely seen in other films (though a bit of time does get lost in some over-dramatization) so even if the questions raised throughout the films aren’t of interest, anyone wanting to learn about this remarkable culture will find this an informative series.

But the questions raised during the films are the point and they’re clearly meant to build on the earlier work of West, Bauval and others in re-assessing the age of the pyramids, the age of the ancient Egyptian culture, the state of their technology and the possible existence of an even earlier advanced civilization. The latter part of the series takes a quick look into the Egyptian practices concerning altered states of consciousness, including their apparent focus on the importance of the hormonal glands and related energy fields. Graham Hancock makes an appearance, reviewing specific carvings that record Egyptian’s use of psychotropic plants – the blue lotus and mandrake root – to access altered states of awareness during the rituals practiced by initiates (interesting to note how the Egyptians restricted access to this knowledge). The series concludes by suggesting that the Mayan and Hindu calendars, with their cyclical time structures, provide clues about an  earlier Golden Age that may have produced the advanced civilization that seeded ancient Egypt and other sites with the advanced knowledge needed to build monolithic structures, like the Sphinx, so many thousands of years ago.

A note – if the Vedic time cycle is new to you as well, this series includes a nice introduction to this 26,000-year cycle.

 

John Anthony West – Symbolist Egypt – The Meaning Behind the Magic

J. A. West’s other significant contribution to the understanding of Egypt is his support for the work of R., A. Schwaller de Lubicz, Egyptologist and author of The Temple of Man, first published in 1957 and widely regarded as an authoritative source on the origination and meaning of Egyptian symbols. Because Schwaller wrote in French, his work wasn’t widely available to western audiences until the book’s translation in 1998. West, after learning French in order to read Schwaller’s work, helped educate western audiences about this work – as well as his own contributions – through his lectures and books on the topic. In this lecture, J. A. West introduces some of the basic concepts one must be aware of to correctly interpret the symbols of ancient Egypt. The sound quality and picture quality here isn’t great but it’s an interesting review of some of the familiar hieroglyph figures – the jackal, the beetle, and ibis. I suggest fast forwarding to the 17 min. mark to avoid West’s meandering intro comments.

 

Magicians of the Gods – snapshots of a work in progress

In this lecture, Graham Hancock presents some of the interesting details behind his research for Magicians of the Gods, his recent book in which he lays out the new evidence supporting his theories of an antediluvian civilization that seeded the continents with ancient wisdom just after the last ice age. It’s a good primer on the content of the book but also, given Graham’s engaging style, an interesting set of stories on ancient Egypt and the latest archeological discoveries coming from sites in Gobekli Tepe (Turkey), Baalbek (Lebanon) and other monolithic digs.

 

Graham Hancock – Ancient Civilizations (2012)

In his typically informative but entertaining manner, Graham presents the evidence for the existence of an ancient advanced civilization, starting with the flood stories that populate many wisdom traditions. Graham continues with reviews of ancient maps, Egyptian texts, geological evidence, and monolithic structures, including the Great Pyramid. And this last part might be the best part: Graham has been able to spend considerable time inside the Great Pyramid and he shares some engrossing details about each chamber, shaft and structure. Graham’s deep expertise and passion for the topic combine to make this one of his better lectures on this topic.

 

Robert Bauval – Black Genesis: The Prehistoric Origins of Ancient Egypt

In this recent lecture, Robert Bauval attempts to summarize decades of his observations, stories and wonder about the monolithic structures of ancient Egypt. His engineering background is on full display as he marvels at the incredible precision and sheer size of the Giza pyramids and other buildings; we’re again treated to a number of the small stories and observations that can only come from people who’ve spent many days and weeks in these places. Bauval briefly reviews his previous work connecting the position of the pyramids to star formations before moving on to describe the rituals ancient Egyptians used for exploring states of consciousness. Bauval cites these rituals as the source of the insights needed to build with stones of such enormous sizes, stones we’d have problems even moving today, never mind building with them. Bauval concludes with reviewing the significance of the Nabta Playa site – and it all becomes a bit hurried from there. Bauval clearly enjoys the topic a bit too much to stay on schedule but it’s still an interesting primer if you’re unfamiliar with his work. And another tip – his lengthy intro ends at about the 12 min. mark.

 

Is The House of History Built on Foundations of Sand? Graham Hancock – TEDx (2016)

In this 18-minute lecture, Hancock summarizes the growing body of evidence (as of mid-2016) supporting his view that a comet strike of around 12,000 years ago created an environmental catastrophe that lead to the disappearance of an earlier advanced civilization. As usual, Graham uses his time to make his fact-filled case clearly and persuasively before concluding with a review of the compelling new discoveries coming from Gobekli Tepe, a monolithic site in Turkey confirmed to be at least 12,800 years old. This site, which appears to have been intentionally buried thousands of years ago, has just begun to be fully excavated and it seems there’s little doubt more discoveries will emerge that continue to beg the question – from where did civilizations of 13,000+ years ago learn to build such advanced structures?

 

Graham Hancock, Robert Bauval, John Anthony West – Secrets of the Pyramids and the Sphinx (1995)

TLC created this 50-min documentary in which the three main boat-rockers – Hancock, West and Bauval – present their collective case that numerous structures and texts of the ancient Egyptians demonstrate a level of technology that was well beyond the abilities of the Bronze Age culture we’ve assumed them to be. This documentary, which uses much of the same key footage seen in the first two films, does a nice job of presenting the main themes in the related work of these three men; work that, years later, continues to reshape the historical timeline of ancient Egypt – and perhaps that of human civilization as well.

 

top image: Daniel H. Tong 

Below, two prominent mathematicians  – Dr. Edward Frenkel from UC Berkeley and Oxford professor Dr. Marcus du Sautoy – share insights they’ve gained about the nature of reality by contemplating the numbers and equations of their fields. I found their fervent accounts a wonderful affirmation that Nature will reveal Her wonders in all sorts of remarkable ways.

Mathematics as Hidden Reality – Edward Frenkel, PhD (2014)

“There’s a secret world out there. A hidden parallel universe of beauty and elegance, intricately intertwined with ours. And it’s invisible to most of us.” –Edward Frenkel

The power of the revelatory experience often moves people to not just eloquent expression but also an increased level of passion and transparency for the work that touches them most deeply. Mathematician Edward Frenkel, author of the bestseller Love and Math, is clearly in love with the world of numbers and this connection has revealed to him a deeper understanding of reality that goes beyond the logical thinking of mathematics. In this SAND14 conference video, Dr. Frenkel tells a very personal story of his journey to discover, through mathematics, the ‘wholly other realm’ spoken of by Martin Gardner and other great mathematicians of the past.

The Code (2011)

“The fact that the code provides such a successful description of nature is for many one of the greatest mysteries of science. I think that the only explanation which makes sense for me is that by discovering these connections we have in fact uncovered some deep truth about the world. That perhaps the code is the truth of the universe and it’s numbers that dictate the way the world must be … The ultimate symbol of chance isn’t random at all. It only appears that way. When we don’t understand the Code, the only way we can make sense of our world is to make up stories. But the truth is far more extraordinary. Everything has mathematics at its heart. When everything is stripped away all that remains is the Code.” –Marcus du Sautoy

In this 3-part series, mathematician Marcus du Sautoy hops around the world to show us the important geographical sites and physical objects that reveal the ways in which patterns of numbers and formulae – nature’s code – have shaped the world. Which brings up one of the nice things about this set of films – you get to see a lot of beautiful shots of the planet; I’d love to see the giant salt crystals growing in the Merkers Mine! But the thing I found noteworthy about this series is how it connected to a book I read later, Infinite Potential by physicist Lothar Schaferwhich states that matter arises from a field of infinite potentials or numbers. If a Source consciousness is giving rise to all physical matter from a field of infinite ‘numbers’, might this not leave behind ‘fingerprints’ in the form of what looks to us like mathematical codes embedded in the shapes and forms? Interesting to contemplate.

The Story of Maths (2008)

“It is with Bernhard Riemann‘s work that we finally have the mathematical glasses to explore such worlds of the mind. And now my journey through the abstract world of 20th century mathematics has revealed that maths is the true language that the universe is written in, the key to understanding the world around us.” –Marcus du Sautoy

This 4-part series looks at the history of math and the way related disciplines unfolded and intertwined over time to bring us a model for understanding our world. Dr. Sautoy begins with a look at some of the earliest mathematical records from ancient Egypt and Greece. Again, we get to visit a lot of beautiful places in the world as Marcus then moves to sites in China and India, the location of the small tablet where the number ‘0’ was first recorded. (It’s the little things!) We then get into the part I found especially interesting about this series; mathematical disciplines as ‘languages’. That realization probably hits most mathematicians early on but to me, calculus and algebra and geometry remained just formulas to memorize in order to pass a test – that sort of thing. These films use the visual medium effectively to explain how formulas describe spaces and shapes and the forces that create them – a much more interesting way to learn complex math.

And there was another surprising benefit from this series. Certain numbers and formulas – the Golden ratio, the Fibonacci sequence, pi – make appearances in several spiritual texts. These mathematical concepts are often associated with physical or emotional characteristics that frankly didn’t make much sense to me. This series discusses some of these same concepts, clarifying their significance in a broader context that made these links to spiritual texts much clearer.

The Secret Rules of Modern Living: Algorithms (2015)

This film doesn’t have much to do with insights that hint at the larger forces in nature or the collective consciousness or the answer to everything (it’s 42). But it is an interesting look at algorithms. And it contains THE most amusing math dance I’ve ever seen (@ 20:15).

top image: agsandrew / shutterstock.com 

So here are the films that, taken together, lay out a part of the story about how it is that we come to these times in this country. It starts with the Civil War which, as the marvelous Shelby Foote argues, defined America and allowed it to be what it became, for good and ill. The racial tensions and discrimination that remained after the Civil War continued to shape the American culture and the film I Am Not Your Negro shares some riveting stories from the Civil Rights Movement that arose as a result. Continued racial discrimination in the U.S. continues to spark the formation of activist groups; Truth and Power covers the rise of Black Lives Matter – and the government’s response. The Armor of Light tackles another legacy of the Civil War: tensions over gun rights, specifically the conflict between spiritual teachings and gun ownership. The role of the media also comes up repeatedly as Reverend Schenck interviews his congregation, peers and others their opinions about gun use, which brings me to what was the final entry in my list, Manufacturing Consent. In this film, Noam Chomsky demonstrates how corporate media is serving the interests of political and business groups over those of the general public. Then I decided to add the recent Ken Burn’s series on Vietnam because it is salient, it is superb and because I don’t want to write another post about war for a while. (Ugh!)

The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns (2015)

Any understanding of this nation has to be based, and I mean really based, on an understanding of the civil war. I believe that firmly. It defined us. The revolution did what it did. Our involvement in European wars … did what it did. But the civil war defined us as what we are and it opened us to being what we became, good and bad things. And it is very necessary, if you going to understand the American character in the 20th century, to learn about this enormous catastrophe of the mid-19th century. It was the crossroad of our being and it was a hell of a crossroads.” —Shelby Foote, writer.

It’s Ken Burns so you know it’s going to be exceptionally well done. This 9-part series is a riveting, brutal and enlightening look at this critical time in American history. My formal education did little to provide any real understanding of this war but this series delivered numerous insights and shed light on why so many north-south lines of division still exist in this country.

I Am Not Your Negro (2017)

“I am saying that a journey is called that because you cannot know what you will discover on the journey; what you will do with what you find or what you find will do to you.” –James Baldwin

Samuel L. Jackson reads from writer James Baldwin’s unfinished novel, Remember This House, against a backdrop of images and video from the civil rights era and Baldwin’s life. The author had intended the novel to tell the story of America through the lives of three civil rights leaders –  Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X – and they figure prominently in this evocative film. I was not familiar with James Baldwin’s writing before watching this movie and it was a powerful introduction to his work. Though the civil rights story has been told in countless films, I found this one exceptional for the emotional weight lent to the images by Baldwin’s writing.

Truth and Power (2016 – )

Remember the good ol’ days when the ideas in George Orwell’s book1984 were still a warning instead of a today’s headlines?

This documentary series takes a look at ten cases that have exposed government and corporate abuses of power. Each short episode summarizes a specific type of abuse: illegal cellphone taping, unlawful surveillance, and concealing the truth from public view are some of the delightful examples on display. It’s the headlines of today brought to life with individual stories.

A few things jumped out at me about this series, the first being the wide variety in the kinds of abuses occurring. We don’t hear about the abuses of just one kind of technology that taps into one kind of data; we hear about many technologies that are meant to look at all kinds of data. The second thing these cases made clear was how massive these technologies are. These are not systems built to target a person or group, though that’s the focus of each story. Instead, the tools exposed are all clearly purpose built to deal with massive data collections. Since it’s clearly far too late to put the Data Genie back in the Privacy Bottle, I greatly appreciate films of this kind that keep reminding us of the full price we’re paying for the use of our tech.

The Armor of Light (2015)

“It demands a lot of lamentable patience because I do know lives are on the line. Certainly what I would call the spiritual health of the church is on the line.” –Reverend Rob Schenck

During one of several trips I made to Mississippi some years ago, I heard a young friend describe having vacationed in “almost all of the states in the confederacy but not many up north”. He was serious. At that moment I got an indelible glimpse of the undercurrent of Civil War loyalties still running through the collective identity of the American south.  Listening to the conversations Reverend Schenck has with his congregation and peers in this film provides the viewer with these same kind of insights. Though I am neither a Christian nor a gun owner, I found this film absorbing and forceful for the honest and open way it depicts the intellectual and spiritual journey of Reverend Schenck. If we could all emulate his mindful approach, we might actually make some progress in our national conversation on this sensitive subject.

Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992)

“If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.” –Noam Chomsky

This fascinating and frustrating film combines a review of Noam Chomsky’s life and political activism with an illustration Manufacturing Consent, a book authored by Edward Herman and Noam in which they argue that the U.S. system of mass media carries out ‘system-supported propaganda’ meant to shape and direct human behavior. And because it’s almost three hours long, there is plenty of time to dive into fascinating details in all of these areas.

It’s a strange exercise to watch this film with the knowledge that much of what Noam predicted (warned of) over 25 years ago has come to pass.  Today, the state of our Fourth Estate is deeply alarming to anyone paying attention, even members of the media, and this film uncovers many of the reasons why. Though the stated role of the media in a democracy is to speak truth to power, over the course of his career, this film makes a very persuasive case that large media companies are filling a very different role in the country today. (This movie is hard to find online; it’s also available on YouTube)

The Brainwashing of My Dad (2015)

“In almost every act of our lives … we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind.” –Edward Bernays, PR industry pioneer, author of ‘Propaganda’, 1928

In the movie above, Noam exposes the tools corporate media uses to shape public opinion. In this film, we see those tools specifically applied with disturbing results. Not unique results, you understand, just pretty damn disturbing. This is a story that I could relate to personally, having known a few people similarly changed over the years after tuning in exclusively to Rush Limbaugh or similar content. The conclusions the film reaches about the impact of ‘right-wing’ media are not new but they add a penetrating look at the history leading up to this radical shift in U.S. media practices. The film points back to President Nixon’s work with a consultant named Roger Ailes as the beginning of what became a massive, orchestrated effort to create and deploy a media complex designed to shape American political opinion. That this came to pass is not news to anyone who’s been paying attention but the historical context provided in this movie adds an interesting layer to the explanation.

The Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns (2017)

I first encountered the film-making talents of Ken Burns when watching his series Baseball. It was such an effective telling of the story – not of just the sport but also of the country for whom the sport has become ‘a national past-time’ – that I bought the video series so I could listen again to his insightful re-counting of American history. I don’t even like baseball.

So when I discovered during my recent historical documentary kick that Ken Burns had made several such films, I immediately scheduled a binge session and dived into his series on the Civil War and WWII. By the time I had finished these two series, Ken’s new films on the Vietnam war had been released so I decided to get it over with and watch this 10-part series as well.

After watching this remarkable and infuriating series, this paragraph from a New York Times review seems the wisest thing to say: “The saddest thing about this elegiac documentary may be the credit it extends its audience. “The Vietnam War” still holds out hope that we might learn from history, after presenting 18 hours of evidence to the contrary.”

top image: janaka dharmasena / shutterstock.com 

How Close is Science to Understanding Consciousness? (2015)

Spiritual teacher A.H. Almaas facilitates a discussion between five scientists on the nature of consciousness. It’s a laugh a minute in this….. no, just kidding. Not amusing but truly fascinating, especially if you’ve recently had your entire worldview tossed into the rubbish bin, so I recommend doing that first.

I didn’t about know of any of these folks prior to this video but was immediately impressed by both their smarts and diverse backgrounds – neuroscience, cognitive science, medicine, physics. I was so encouraged to learn that the nature of consciousness is the focus of many people in many areas (whew, it’s not just me!).

The awakening raises questions of ‘self’. What am I in relation to this body? If my body isn’t generating my consciousness, then what is my body for? Did my consciousness leave my body or is my body made of consciousness? Listening to this discussion helped me understand I would have a few options to pick from when looking for models to explain the nature of consciousness … Good news?

 

Psychedelic Mystical Experiences, Social Change & Therapeutic Outcomes – Rick Doblin (2016)

“A monk spends his whole life cultivating the same awakened attitude it [MDMA] gives you.”  –Brother David Steindl-Rast to Newsweek, 1985

I’ve heard a few people who lived through the psychedelic revolution of the 1960s lament that the strong public and government backlashes that followed lost us the chance to follow-up on the promising results coming from the clinical trials of the time. Yet clearly these seeds were sown as another movement to bring psychedelics back into mainstream medical use is well underway today. Case in point, the work of Rick Doblin, who founded MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) in 1986, a group making great strides with a new series of clinical trials involving psychedelics. In this presentation, Rick explains why earlier psychedelic research is prompting people to take another look at these substances for various applications. Rick goes on to update the audience on the MDMA treatment programs the MAPS group is developing. It’s hopeful stuff!

 

The Nature of Consciousness in ‘Big History’ – Elisabet Sahtouris (2016)

If I have learned one thing from all this reading and watching and pondering about consciousness, it’s the importance of maintaining the long, wide historical view. Our sense of separation from everything around us can limit our worldview to just what’s within our personal horizons and it’s only the long view that allows us to see the larger patterns in human evolution and behavior, patterns which can teach us important lessons. And it is these patterns that Elisabet argues point to a single universal consciousness.

Recently, the Gates Foundation got involved with history education in a big way by funding The Big History Project, an effort to come up with ‘a story of the universe’ that could be taught in all schools. During her talk, Elisabet examines the limited model underlying The Big History Project and proposes an alternative approach that includes creation stories from many cultures; she includes several interesting examples from various traditions. I found Dr. Sahtouris’ broad expertise allowed her to make a persuasive case that a multi-cultural understanding of our shared history would better serve us all.

 

Entanglement, Space-Time Wormholes, and the Brain – John Hagelin (2014)

As both a quantum physicist and a professor at Maharishi University of Management, Dr. Hagelin is in a unique position to speak to the connections between the math of quantum physics and the ‘One Mind’ spiritual concepts of eastern traditions. As he says at one point, some use yoga to reach a state of nirvana, others use complex mathematical concepts to perceive the mystical states of infinity (the audience thought he was joking).

Dr. Hagelin then goes on to explain a couple of these complex mathematical concepts … I think I may have blanked out for a few. Actually, though they are pretty brain-bendy, all of John’s explanations are straightforward and clear – or as clear as they can be, considering the material. His model of entangled particles and their relation to string theory was well-illustrated and I was able to conceptualize the basic aspects of his theory. Which is why I included this video particularly; evidence of quantum entanglement is thought by many to demonstrate the presence of a ‘field’ of consciousness/potential so having a basic understanding of this “spooky action at a distance”, as Einstein called it, can be helpful when wading into the science of non-duality.

 

Consciousness and the Interface Theory of Perception, Donald Hoffman (2013)

As a cognitive scientist, Dr. Hoffman is able to use what many think of as ‘optical illusions’ to very convincingly demonstrate how our brains are manipulating ‘the data’. It’s fascinating stuff –  you can hear the audience getting caught up in the weirdness of his examples.

As with all the videos in this group, this presentation introduces concepts that I would hear about over and over as I continued exploring the field of consciousness science; having an understanding at the outset of the models Dr. Hoffman covers was very helpful.

Dr. Hoffman has been doing extensive work to develop a ‘mathematics of consciousness’ and he spends the second half of the video explaining the structure of this model.

 

What Is Time to the Conscious Mind? – Julia Mossbridge, MA, PhD (2014)

From Eckhart Tolle to Terence McKenna, I’ve heard one teacher after another introduce the idea that large events in the future create ripples in the fabric of our shared reality or consciousness. These ripples move back through the time stream and are perceived by us in the present moment; we call it a sense of intuition, foreboding, a gut sense. Dr. Mossbridge has been investigating this phenomenon and in this lecture, shares the data and conclusions from experiments done recently which seem to demonstrate ‘rippling’ effect.

Perhaps the thing I most appreciated about Julia’s presentation was her underlying sense of …. wonder? ….  that appears to come from a realization that science is leading us back to the same truths understood by non-dual spiritual traditions for centuries. I have come across a number of such videos and I’ll be sure share more; the sense of awe and amazement coming from these scientists as they recount their realizations is contagious!

 

Image: rad k/shutterstock.com 

The Big Short (2015)

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” –Mark Twain

Ryan Gosling intermittently narrates us through this dramatization of the housing bubble and bust in 2008. Not many movies can be entertaining while explaining a mortgage backed security; add that to Ryan Gosling’s resume. I’m guessing the movie fudges a few facts (they actually call out a few fudges in the film) but you get the gist; huge money led to huge corruption led to huge collapse.

About the upcoming collapse, the narrator tells us, ‘a few outsiders and weirdos saw what was coming’ and I think that’s what hooked me about this movie; even for something as catastrophic as the 2008 financial crash, there was a warning in our history. This message is repeated in many of the following films.

Requiem for the American Dream (2015)

“The way things change is because lots of people are working all the time. They’re working in their communities or workplace or wherever they happen to be and they’re building up the basis for popular movements which are going to make changes. That’s the way everything has ever happened in history.” –Noam Chomsky

The brilliant Noam Chomsky walks us through ‘The 10 Principles of the Concentration of Wealth and Power’, deftly illustrating how each of these principles is translating into today’s headlines. It’s disturbing. Not just for the assessment he’s providing, which is bleak, but for the mirror he holds up to the American culture as he works through each principle. Yet even as the picture gets gloomier the closer he gets to ten, Noam reminds us of all the sweeping changes we ‘average’ citizens have organized to bring to this country – and that we still enjoy many powerful freedoms in the US. It’s a compelling film.

Money For Nothing: Inside the Federal Reserve (2013)

“How can the dollar be anything except the world’s greatest monetary brand, the Coca-Cola of money? How can it be anything else but? Well, you just watch.” –Jim Grant, economist.

The tag line says ‘the first film about the next crisis’; that might not sound like so much hyperbole after you see this film. I knew little about the Federal Reserve; now I feel like I know too much. What else can you do but laugh and shake your head – it’s all such a myriad of theories and models and speculation and myopic thinking and ….. wow.

This movie offers a detailed exploration of the nature of our currency and the role of the Federal Reserve in the recent 2008 financial collapse. The film begins by laying out a well-illustrated history of The Fed, starting with a review of the financial instabilities leading up to the crash of 1907 and the subsequent meeting on Jekyll Island. It ends by laying out a persuasive argument that the decisions made to help recover from the 2008 crisis have simply kicked the can down the road by setting the stage for the next market meltdown. And in between these two points, it’s just head-shaking amazing. (note – only Hulu still includes this film with basic subscription)

(Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies (2015)

“The question is, are there gender differences between cheating in men and women – and there are huge differences. Huge differences. And the difference is that only women ask this question.”  –Dr. Ariely

In the midst of all these films about financial corruption and fraud, it was refreshing to find a film that shed some light on what drives us to be so consistently dishonest (somebody make sense of this! please!). Duke University Professor Daniel Ariely and his team ran hundreds of experiments in an effort to determine why people lie and Dr. Ariely shares his findings in an amusing and fascinating lecture. Then each of the behaviors noted during the experiments is brought to life through the stories of several brave folks who stare at the camera and tell you about a big lie they told that ended up changing their life. This film is so well done; I was riveted.

The connection between today’s headlines and Dr. Ariely’s experiments is what I really appreciated about this film; the results are so relevant to what’s unfolding around us. If you’ve ever looked at the day’s news stories and truly wondered “how on earth could someone do that?”, this film has some insights for you. The movie also raises the interesting idea that, while our nature provides deception as a necessary tool, it’s cultural conditioning that motivates the truly astonishing acts of deception … We are some interesting creatures.

We’re Not Broke (2012)

In response to members of the government attempting to convince the American people ‘we’re broke’, this film makes the case that corporations sheltering money offshore is the real driver of US money woes.

With both data and anecdotes, the film provides interesting explanations of the various financial instruments corporations use to lower their federal income tax bill, some to the point of paying nothing. It is stated that the practices are not illegal, per se, but we sure are left wondering if they’re moral, given the stated impact these practices are having in the US and abroad. Since corporations can now donate millions to election campaigns (Citizens United), it is not surprising to learn that congress has yet to tackle the problem.

Two things about this documentary made it worth sharing. First were the stark connections back to the ten principles Noam discusses in Requiem for the American Dream. Second was how well the film illustrates a key point: corporations continue to benefit from the social and material infrastructures but are no longer paying their share of taxes to maintain these systems – and so they crumble. And in raising this question, this film gets to the question that seems to divide the national conversation right down the middle; are we in this together or is everyone entitled to what they can get?

Boom Bust Boom (2015)

Being a Monty Python fan, no way was I not going to listen to Terry Jones give me an economics lesson.

Though covering a lot of the same ground, this film focuses more on the human nature behind this tendency of ours to repeat the worst lessons from our history (bingo!). We get to hear from a new cast of British financial authorities … and from some puppets.

The British perspective adds interesting shading where it covers the same ground as the other films but then it goes on to illustrate several more aspects of our insanely complex financial systems, such as buying on margin and market-traded risk price. (Feeling sleepy? Remember, there are puppets!) Dr. Dan Ariely from the film (Dis)Honesty also makes an appearance … And South Park … And Life of Brian … It’s a much more interesting way to learn economics!

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

The film opens with Tom Waits’ What’s He Building In There. Brilliant song selection.

Pride, arrogance, intolerance, cruelty, greed; it’s all here. I’d heard about this movie but never got around to watching it; Netflix ‘noticed’ what I was watching and provided the reminder (not always sure I appreciate this looking-over-the-shoulder advice).

What was interesting about this movie was hearing the financial disaster explained as a story of three men. The actions and personalities of Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling and Andy Fastow are each examined as they enter and exit this story about the rise and fall of Enron. After watching the movie – and this is going to sound like hyperbole so brace yourself – I was reminded of the familiar black and white picture of Hitler, in full Nazi regalia, walking down a path in the woods with a dog and small girl. Many have shared that this photo prompts them to think “oh, he looks so human”. And yet, that seems the point of these stories; these much hated people – and boy, did we hate the Enron gang back in the day – are really no more or less than a person caught in the merciless conditioning of culture gone mad. Not horrible men full of malevolence out to be evil but simply ambitious people who, like so many, one day find themselves in a pot boiling over with the consequences of one bad decision after another. As the film unfolds you can see it on their faces, this growing awareness of the approaching abyss.

The Untold History of the United States (2012)

Oliver Stone’s opens this 12-part series with remarks that, as product of the same whitewashed public school education, resonated with me deeply:

“When I was a young boy growing up in New York City, I thought I received a good education. I studied history extensively, especially American history. It made sense; we were the center of the world, there was a manifest destiny, we were the good guys. Well, I’ve traveled the world now. I continued my education as an infantryman in Vietnam. I made a lot of movies, some of them about history, and I’ve learned a lot more than I once knew. And when I heard from my children what they were learning in school, I was perturbed to hear that they were not really getting a more honest view of the world than I did. We live much of our lives in a fog, all of us. And I would like my children to have access to something that looks beyond what I would call ‘the tyranny of now’. We watch the media and everyone talks about ‘that’ thing, the news of the day, and all the subconscious and really important stuff that’s going on is being neglected.

Napoleon once said that history is a pack of lies agreed upon. Well, I’m not sure I agree. I believe history does have a meaning, does have a purpose, and there is a pattern to be found. And I wanted, with my colleagues, rather than make another feature film, to tell the American story in a way that it has never been told before. There are many question that you may not find answered here but you will find questions raised that I hope will help make you more conscious. We are going to propose, among other things, a forgotten set of heroes, people who suffered for their beliefs and who have been lost to history because they did not conform. And we are going to debunk some of those heroes that you believe in, not with malice but by restating the facts. Unless we remind ourselves of the good that we have lost, it’s not easy to imagine a better future. By showing you the patterns of behavior which have come to be that you perhaps have not noticed before, we will try to bring you back to the meaning of this country, and what so radically changed after World War II. There have been some profound mistakes but we still have a chance, I strongly believe, to correct them.” –Oliver Stone

Isn’t it interesting – we humans see patterns in everything so how is it we continually overlook the biggest patterns of all, those embedded in our own recorded history?.

This twelve part documentary series examines WWII, the Cold War, JFK and the Cuban missile crisis, the Vietnam war, the cold war, the ‘age of triumphalism’ (Bush and Clinton) and finally the age of ‘war on terror’. The last two episodes cover WWI and the buildup to WWII. The series is at once a good refresher on a lot of (very relevant) history and an opportunity to see this history examined with a much brighter light.

image: adike/shutterstock.com